Rachel Bloom has taken the entertainment industry by storm over the last few years. The comedian launched her own show—Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—which she now co-produces and stars in. Using her platform, she's raised awareness about everything from neuroses to body positivity. And now, Bloom is inspiring a frank discussion about mental health. The actress and producer recently penned an essay for Glamour about her personal experiences with depression and anxiety, hoping she'd inspire others enduring similar struggles to realize they're not alone.

"It all started with one sleepless night: Aline [my co-producer] and I were pitching the show to networks the next day," Bloom wrote in her essay. "In my head, this was my chance to 'make it,' which hinged on my performing in those meetings. I had a friend staying over, and suddenly it was midnight. I said to myself, 'Oh, you stupid bitch! Go to bed. You have a pitch in the morning!' I didn’t sleep for a second that night. By the time I met Aline the next day, I looked like I had been hit by a truck." And according to Bloom, a sleep anxiety cycle was born. She would get nervous about the pitch, which led to her not being able to sleep, which led to her being even more anxious, which led to her having even more trouble falling sleep. And as the night went on, Bloom said she'd only get deeper and deeper in the downward spiral of anxiety.

"All this time I was trying to hide my feelings," Bloom wrote. "So I was in this perfect storm...I went from feeling anxious to sinking into the worst depression of my life. I needed help." The actress and producer ultimately decided to go to a psychiatrist, who ended up helping her immensely. Bloom was diagnosed with low-grade depression and began taking a small amount of Prozac. "There’s a stereotype (I had believed) that antidepressants numb you out," she wrote. "That didn’t happen to me."

Bloom said her psychiatrist helped her realize that "not every thought needs to be indulged." In other words: When she feels anxiety coming on, she needs to find a way to stay balanced. "To help me do that, I’ve gotten into meditating," she wrote. "Meditating has helped me to focus on the present and to not see every great thing as my thing to f*ck up...I try to say to myself, 'Hey, you only live once. Go along for the ride. Do your best.'"

Meditation—along with efforts to be more open about what she's dealing with—has helped Bloom reach a good place, and she plans to stay there for a while. "I’m not dealing with depression alone anymore," Bloom wrote. "My psychiatrist is on my team. So is Aline. Most important, so is my husband...And when I’m tired, I just fall asleep."